


Diamar

by WritinginCT



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Angst, Award Nominee(ineligible), Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2007-05-11
Updated: 2008-01-03
Packaged: 2017-10-07 13:44:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/65700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritinginCT/pseuds/WritinginCT
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stranded alone offworld with a new teammate Daniel lives a lifetime. Or do they?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"D'Diamar?" the voice she had longed to hear said from behind her. She turned to face the owner of that voice with silent tears running down her cheeks.

"It wasn't a dream?" she asked in a wavering voice.

"No. D'Diamar it wasn't a dream."

\----------

_3 weeks earlier_

Daniel saw her in the commissary eating lunch with her nose stuck in a book oblivious to the rest of the world. It was a look he knew well, although he was generally the one oblivious. She didn't look military although she was in the standard issue BDU's; she must be a civilian. Her long brunette hair was pulled haphazardly away from her face with a clip and he could see that she wore no makeup. He looked at the title of the book she was reading and was surprised, it was one of his favorites on basic Egyptology. He wondered what department she worked in. He was abysmally behind on reading his non-essential memos and hadn't paid attention to the announcements of new personnel. Maybe Sam knew who she was; he would ask her when she finally got through the chow line.

His seat gave him an unimpaired view of the woman across he room and he found himself watching her. He was smiling to himself as he saw her make a face at the food on her tray and push it away then go back to her book and coffee. He felt the same way about military cooking most of the time and could relate. She was pretty, and the face she had made was cute. He was still smiling that little smile as Sam sat down across from him.

"What's so funny Daniel?" Sam asked as she looked around.

Embarrassed to be caught Daniel stammered, "Oh. Nothing Sam." and had to force himself to drag his eyes away to face Sam.

"So what do you think of General Hammond's latest pilot program for the SG teams?"

"Huh? What pilot program?"

Sam sighed, "Daniel do you read _any_ of your memos?"

"Occasionally."

"All of the SG teams are going to start rotating a fifth member, namely a civilian scientist."

"What? Haven't we hashed this out already a million times?"

"Yeah. Don't even get Colonel O'Neill started. He's a little irritated about the whole thing."

"Is this Hammond's idea or is it coming from Washington?"

"Washington of course. They seem to think that the SG teams are in danger of getting stale and that fresh blood will help keep us all on our toes and help us see things from other disciplines."

Daniel was stewing about the whole thing as Sam ate and his attention drifted back over to the brunette. She was concentrating hard on something in the book and he could see her lips moving trying to pronounce something over and over. She must have finally been satisfied with her pronunciation because she said the word a final time and smiled. And Daniel just stared with his fork halfway to his mouth.

Sam caught him staring this time and followed his gaze, chuckling she teased, "Earth to Daniel."

"What? Oh sorry Sam."

"Have you met Dr. Cooper yet Daniel?"

Daniel was still fighting his urge to stare, "Um no, who is he?"

"_She_ is the brunette you're staring at."

"I'm not staring Sam. What department is she in?"

"Exobiology. She specializes in botany. And you are so staring."

"So she's new?"

"Yeah, she just got here last week. Do you want me to introduce you?"

Daniel, the man who made first contact with alien races and prided himself on being able to communicate with just about anyone was suddenly very intimidated by the idea of speaking to the woman that he had been admiring and he couldn't put a finger on why exactly. "No thanks Sam. I'll say hello another time. And actually I think I'll see you later too, I've got something to finish in my office." And he left the commissary in a hurry but paused at the exit to glance back at Dr. Cooper one last time before heading for his office much to Sam's amusement.

\----------

Daniel found himself heading for lunch at the commissary at the same exact time he had the day before. And sure enough there was Dr. Cooper with her nose buried in another book. He ate alone and spent an enjoyable lunch watching her pour through a book on hieroglyphics, he was intrigued at her choice of reading material as both yesterday's book and today's were both titles he recommended as essential reading for anyone starting at the SGC. He really wanted to know what color her eyes were, he couldn't tell from where he was sitting. He still didn't speak with her.

\----------

The third day Daniel tried to tell himself that he wasn't consciously timing his commissary visits and it was just coincidence, yet he found himself watching the clock all morning. Teal'c sensed that Daniel was a little anxious about something and decided to accompany him to the commissary for lunch. He noticed Daniel in line looking around expectantly, as if looking for someone, and when he apparently saw the person he was looking for Teal'c saw the back of Daniel's neck grow red and flushed and saw his breath catch. As they sat to eat Teal'c followed Daniel's gaze to see a pretty young woman surrounded by books as she ate her lunch.

Daniel was taken aback by the piles of books surrounding her. He knew them all intimately, they represented the entire recommended reading list he had put together years ago. No one had ever taken it seriously before though, so why was she? He enjoyed watching her work out more pronunciations and she had a habit of chewing on her bottom lip when she was concentrating deeply. Her hair was down today, long and thick down her back. His hands itched to play with it. That particular thought really surprised him, as he didn't even _know_ the woman. He realized at some point that Teal'c was attempting to talk to him and he hadn't heard a word.

Teal'c gave Daniel an amused look and repeated himself, "I said that perhaps you should speak with her as opposed to merely staring at her from across the room DanielJackson."

"I'm not staring Teal'c."

Teal'c raised eyebrow called him a liar without saying in it words.

"Okay I'm staring. But we'll just leave it alone. I have no luck with women. But I am curious to know why she's reading my entire list of books."

"Would that not be a suitable question to initiate conversation?"

"It would be if I were planning on initiating a conversation which I most adamantly am not."

"Understood. Although I would warn you that she is an attractive woman who will most likely not be unattached for long."

"Thanks." was Daniel's flat reply.

\----------

The fourth day found Daniel in a state of nervous energy prior to lunch that it even managed to catch Colonel O'Neill's attention. Given Daniel's obvious inattention in the meeting he called a break for lunch and the rest of SG-1 insisted on accompanying Daniel to the commissary.

Looking around even more expectantly than the day before his disappointment in seeing the empty table that she had occupied for the past three days was immediately written on his face for his teammates to see. Not wanting to be subjected to twenty questions he made a quick excuse to leave and go back to his office where he could be disappointed in private.

He didn't see the looks Jack, Sam and Teal'c shared as he left, nor did he hear Sam say to them, "I think Daniel has it bad for one of the new scientists."

Daniel had his head down as he walked to his office with his hands in his pockets. Why would not seeing her affect him this much? He hadn't even met the woman. He wasn't really paying attention to his surroundings and as he approached his office it didn't register right away that there was someone sitting on the floor near his office door.

"Dr. Jackson?" a gentle voice asked.

Realizing that it came from a person sitting on the floor he turned his attention to the owner of the voice and almost gasped out loud. It was Dr. Cooper. Sitting there surrounded by the books on his reading list. She had green eyes. Green. He didn't realize how much he had wanted to know that until that moment.

When he didn't say anything right away she asked again as she tried to stand up, "Dr. Jackson?"

Unconsciously he offered her a hand to help her up, but he still hadn't said a word.

"Um, if this is a bad time I can come back." she said with a concerned look on her face.

"No, no it's fine. I just didn't expect to see y...anyone sitting on the floor." he thought he covered that well.

"Sorry about that. I was told that you were in a meeting this morning and I was hoping to catch you before you went to lunch. Sorry, I'm Dr. Candice Cooper, Exobiology by the way."

"Please call me Daniel Dr. Cooper. There are enough Ph.D.'s and medical degrees in this building to trip over."

"Well Daniel I can do that if you call me Candice." She said with a little smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Doing some light reading?" he asked indicating her stack of books on the floor.

"Just catching up on the required reading so I can pass your class this semester Professor Jackson." she teased with her green eyes flashing with humor.

She was _teasing_ him? This woman that he was leery of even being introduced to was _teasing _him? "I can't believe you took that memo seriously. I've been trying for years to have people at least take a glance at some of the books on the list. It would certainly make my job easier at times."

"I tend to take recommendations about the knowledge I might need to stay alive very seriously Daniel. And I have been working like a fiend to get through them all. I feel like I'm back in college cramming for exams."

Daniel looked at her in surprise for a moment, "Are you going to be on the SG Team rotation?"

"Yes, starting next week actually. Which is why I'm here. I have some questions about certain things I've read and trying to reconcile them with the information presented to me about the history of the Stargate program."

"I'd be happy to answer anything I can for you. Do you want to come into my office?" he gestured more than a little excitedly.

"Actually I just stopped by to see if you had a free appointment in the next few days, you don't have to give up your lunch and drop everything this afternoon."

"It's not a problem. I'm not really hungry today anyway." Daniel's stomach decided to make a liar out of him at that moment by growling very loudly.

Candice looked down at the noisy offender then back to Daniel's face with an amused look on her face. "Maybe we could talk _while_ we eat?"

A few minutes later a very happy Daniel was escorting Candice into the commissary, his SG-1 teammates all chuckling into their hands at his reappearance and suddenly peppy demeanor. Sam in particular thought it was very humorous and nudged Teal'c, "Told you so."

Daniel and Candice had a very pleasant working lunch. He found her questions to be valid and was amazed at the amount of information she had absorbed in such a short period of time especially since she admitted that she had absolutely no head for languages and hadn't much interest in archeology or ancient history. He went into full bore teaching mode and was rambling on and on when Jack made his way over to the table. He clapped Daniel on the shoulder, "Sorry to break up your afternoon lecture Dr. Jackson but we do have a meeting to finish up sometime today."

"Oh yeah. Sorry Jack. Oh by the way have you met Dr. Cooper? Candice this is Colonel Jack O'Neill, head of SG-1 and second in command of the SGC.

Jack noticed that she had respectfully gotten to her feet and stood at almost a parade rest and he extended a hand, "I've read a lot of good things about you Dr. Cooper from some friends at Area 51, I hope we'll be able to keep you busy here."

"Thank you sir. I'm really looking forward to getting started."

Jack looked hard at her posture for a minute then smiled, "Okay spill it, you have all the makings of a military brat, so was it Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines?"

"That obvious sir?" she smiled, "My father was a career Marine. I guess old habits die hard."

"See that Daniel, that is respect for my rank. She gets extra points for that. Take notes."

\----------

The next few days were spent preparing for an off world mission, the MALP had reported back that the planet appeared completely deserted although it was picking up a couple of advanced energy signatures that warranted further examination. There was also an extensive set of ruins that were in incredible shape and covered in writings. All in all it the makings of an easy yet informative mission if all went well.

Colonel O'Neill was busy sorting through the files of the civilian scientist pool. To placate him General Hammond was letting him hand pick who he wanted for SG-1. He flipped through them all and kept going back to one in particular, Dr. Candice Cooper. Her file was impressive in many ways but one thing caught his attention and he went off in search of her.

He found her in her office struggling through more of Daniel's reading list. After chatting for a few minutes she happily accompanied him to the firing range and he put her through her paces. When he read in her file that she was certified on a variety of weapons he honestly couldn't picture it and had to see it for himself. After an hour on the range he had to admit that he was impressed. She told him that her father had insisted that she learn and that she found out she was good at it, good enough to win competitions. A geek that could handle weapons and respect the military Jack could learn to like and Candice was assigned to SG-1.

\----------

Daniel had not seen Candice since the day he found her outside his office and was had just decided to remedy that by visiting her office when there was a knock on his door. He yelled, "Come in." and was pleased and surprised to see her walk in.

"Hi." was all he could manage to say.

Her eyes were dancing and she could barely keep her excitement in, "Did you hear the news?"

He raised an eyebrow, "No. What news?"

"I've been assigned to SG-1!"

Daniel couldn't decide if that were good or bad. Good in a sense that she would be a great addition to the team, but bad because you couldn't get romantically involved with a teammate. Looking at the excitement in her face he couldn't help but be happy for her and smiled, "Hey that's great."

She saw something flash in his eyes briefly that didn't jive with the words he spoke but she shrugged it off. She was probably just reading something into it. Her history with men read more like a what not to do manual and she when she had taken the job at the SGC she had promised herself that she would concentrate on the work and not be sidetracked into another bad relationship. But she found herself very attracted to Daniel, and not just physically, his intelligence and intensity drew her in and his willingness to teach and share made her want to be the one he shared with. And, she had to admit to herself, the man was just damn sexy. His eyes, his mouth, the way he carried himself, it was disserting in a good way. She had enjoyed watching him when he wasn't looking in the commissary for a couple of days before plunking herself down outside his office. But now her becoming a member of SG-1 had effectively killed any possibility of anything personal occurring between her and Daniel. Teammates didn't get involved. And maybe it was for the best. But she did find it to be a niggling thing in her brain that Daniel was the first person she wanted to share her good news with. That wasn't just a teammate thing was it?

\----------

SG-1 was given the night off prior to the mission and Candice found herself dragged off base with her teammates to their favorite bar. She liked how comfortable they were with each other and soon the teasing and jokes were flying around the table.

Daniel had introduced her to Sam and Teal'c yesterday and they had spent some time getting to know each other and she found the Jaffa to be an interesting man with a sly sense of humor and she really looked forward to working with him. She and Sam hit it off instantly, both were a little surprised at that if the truth be told, neither of them had many female friends given their careers and they looked forward to getting to know each other better as time went on.

The Colonel was still a mystery and she was a little uncomfortable sitting next to him at the table. She relaxed a bit though as the rest of them teased Jack and he teased them. Relaxed until Teal'c left to play pool with some airmen, and Sam dragged Daniel off to the dance floor and Candice found herself alone with the Colonel and didn't know what to say. He by rights was a very attractive man and extremely self-confident. He reminded her of her father in many ways, not in appearance, just in personality. Must be the alpha military personality thing she thought. She wasn't prepared when he leaned in and said, "You can join them you know," and he nodded towards Sam and Daniel dancing to some be-bop oldies tune, "I won't feel left out." The Colonel was a charmer, no doubt.

She smiled warmly and went to join Sam and Daniel. They welcomed her onto the dance floor and they all danced.

Teal'c rejoined Jack at the table and Jack laughed and pointed to the dance floor, "Daniel's got his very own harem. We'll never hear the end of it."

\----------

Candice was nervous. She had checked and rechecked her pack six times to be sure she had everything she needed. She was in the locker room and Sam was chuckling as she watched her, "Candice you've got everything you need. Don't be nervous."

"Nervous is an understatement Sam."

"First time through is the hardest. Then it's old news."

Standing in the gateroom as the stargate was activated Candice wasn't aware that all of SG-1 was watching her, they all secretly loved seeing the look of awe on the face of someone seeing it for the first time. And her look of rapture didn't disappoint them.

Walking up the ramp to the gate Jack quizzed Candice, "Okay Doc Cooper what is SG-1's number one rule?"

She laughed as she remembered them beating that into her head at the bar, "Dr. Jackson is not allowed to touch anything sir."

The whole team laughed and Jack, Sam and Teal'c walked calmly through the gate. She was standing next to Daniel as they were the next to go through and she felt a warm thrill as he turned to her and asked, "Ready?"

She couldn't speak she just bit her bottom lip and nodded, and they stepped through the gate.

The sensation was nothing she would ever be able to describe. And her eyes were huge on the other side. Then it hit her that she was in fact on another planet and her eyes tried to be everywhere as she looked around.

The rest of the team started clapping for her as she walked down the stone ramp. Jack asked Daniel in a loud voice, "You did tell her about the tattoo that she has to get now that she's been through the gate right?"

The horrified look she gave Daniel was too much for Sam, Teal'c and Jack and they all started howling with laughter. Daniel scowled at Jack who broke from laughing to say, "Joke. I was JOKING."

They split up, Sam and Jack heading for the source of one of energy signatures, with Daniel, Candice, and Teal'c investigating the ruins.

\----------

Candice was really looking forward to seeing Daniel in action around the ruins. She had never had a vested interest in archeology but his curiosity was infectious and had piqued her own. She and Daniel carried on a very animated conversation as they made their way towards the ruins.

Teal'c walked behind them with a bemused look on his face. He found it interesting that he now had two sets of teammates that appeared to be fighting the inevitable. He wished the Tau'ri government would realize that these types of bonds were not inappropriate and they in fact strengthened the team.

They reached the ruins and all three were awed. They were perfectly preserved. There was one large main structure that looked like a temple of sorts and a couple of small outbuildings. These appeared at first glance to be living quarters, and were so well constructed that other than needing new thatching for the roof and a quick sweep they would be habitable and cozy.

They entered the temple and made a cautious initial sweep for weapons or booby traps. Finding none the three started looking around the main room. The walls were covered with writings and pictures. Candice was drawn to one set of pictures of the temple depicting what she believed to be the seasons, they were beautifully done and highlighted with brushed gold. She was studying them so intensely she did not hear Daniel step up behind her, "Beautiful aren't they?" His voice sent a pleasant shiver up her spine that surprised her.

Not trusting herself to speak she merely nodded and he moved to stand next to her to get a better look, and in the instant that they were side by side a blinding flash of yellow light enveloped the temple.

\----------

Daniel regained consciousness and sat up slowly. He saw Candice next to him also waking up. He looked around for Teal'c but did not see him. "Candice are you okay?"

"I think so, what was that?"

"I don't know, do you see Teal'c?"

"No."

Daniel and Candice both tried their radios to find them not functioning, "Probably fried by whatever that light was."

"Daniel we should probably head back to the gate and see if we can find the others."

Daniel stood up and took one last look around, "Yeah, lets go."

They quickly searched the remaining ruins for any signs of Teal'c without success.

"Daniel."

"Yeah, Candice."

"Where are the birds?"

Daniel looked around puzzled. There had been some large flocks of a goose-like bird gathered around in the field near the ruins. Now there was no sign of them.

"I don't know. Let's head back to the gate. See if we can find Sam and Jack. Then we can search for Teal'c."

They quickly reached the Stargate and the silence was almost eerie. When they had arrived the planet reverberated with the sounds of birds, insects, and animals, now there nothing, not even a cricket.

Their biggest surprises in store actually hit them when they reached the gate itself. The MALP was missing. And there was a ton of leaf litter and sand blown around covering the ramp to the gate, and the DHD was also coated with a layer of dirt and debris. For all intents and purposes it appeared that the gate hadn't been activated in a very very long time.

Daniel tried dialing Earth and the found that the DHD did nothing. Not even a flicker.

As the implications of the situation hit them both Candice went and sat on the edge of the ramp and looked around with wide eyes, trying to sort out what could possibly have happened.

Candice was trying to observe everything and compare it to when they first exited the gate earlier while Daniel tried fruitlessly to get the DHD to respond.

Finally exhausted as night began falling, they sat with their backs up against a tree within sight of the gate. They each ate an energy bar and took stock of what they had for supplies in their packs at Candice's insistence.

"I've got three days worth of MRE's and four more energy bars Daniel. What do you have?" Candice asked in a tired voice.

"The same, plus six chocolate bars. I don't think we're going to be here long enough to worry about supplies Candice. When we miss our deadline tomorrow they will dial up the planet and send a probe through."

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the coarse bark of the tree, "My dad always used to say ‘_know what you have and know what you need'. _I must have heard that saying a million times growing up. I just never really got it until right now."

"We'll find the others tomorrow or they will find us. Sam will be able to figure out what's wrong with the DHD."

"If we're on the same planet."

That made Daniel sit up straight and he asked, "What makes you say that?"

She opened her eyes and started ticking things off on her fingers, "Number one, bright yellow light that knocks us unconscious and fries the radios. Two, our teammates are missing. Three, the only footprints visible in the temple and ruins were the ones we made when we woke up. There was no sign that we or Teal'c was ever there. Four, all the wildlife has disappeared. Five, the condition of the gate and DHD and the fact the DHD won't operate. Shall I go on?"

Daniel could have smacked himself for missing all of that; he had been so concerned with finding the rest of the team and the DHD that he was oblivious to all the rest.

\----------

After a sleepless night worrying followed by two more days of fruitless searching and dialing attempts Daniel and Candice sat down to try and make a plan.

Both of them were tired, stressed, and hungry as they were rationing what supplies they had. And they were starting to get snippy with each other.

Daniel sat with his head resting on his bent knees, "We need a plan."

Candice was lying flat on her back with her hands over her face, "Yeah."

Daniel went into team-leader mode and started rattling off tasks that needed to be done, assigning all of them to himself. Candice let him finish then sat up and asked, "Done?"

Surprised at her tone, Daniel raised an eyebrow in response.

"There are two of us Daniel. You don't have to do everything yourself you know. And maybe asking my opinion every now and then might help." Candice understood the chain of command concept. And she also understood that Daniel had much more experience in off-world situations. But what she wasn't tolerating was being subjugated to a childlike position. She did have things to contribute, and knowledge of her own to offer. But he wasn't giving her the opportunity.

"Okay. And what would you have us do?" he asked, his tone a bit snarky.

"Well for starters I would let the _botanist_ among us handle the food foraging. Especially since one of said botanist's doctorates was based on the study of how native people safely find new sources of food without killing themselves. Second, I would send the _archeologist_ back to the temple to see if there are any clues as to how we can get off this damn planet. But that's just my opinion Daniel."

Daniel plunked his head back down on his knees. He had been remiss in not remembering her skill set, and he had regulated her into a subordinate position without really thinking, "I'm sorry. I'm just...well, I can't get rid of this headache for starters."

"Me too. I think its caffeine withdrawal. The coffee was on the MALP."

"Don't remind me. But I bet you're right."

The tension between them eased. It would be bad enough to be stuck on this planet, it would be worse if the only other person stuck with you was angry with you.

"Daniel, if I were to tell you I'm a little scared would you think less of me?"

He looked over at her and saw her nervously biting her bottom lip. Impulsively he took her hand, he realized that he and the other members of SG-1 were used to being in bizarre situations like this one, but Candice wasn't.

"We'll be alright Candice. SG-1 has been in worse situations."

His holding her hand reassured Candice. She hadn't realized how disconnected she had been feeling. It was as if this was all a bad dream and nothing was real. The warmth of his hand grounded her and brought her back to reality.

\----------

"Oh hell Daniel, what did you touch now?" Jack growled as he looked at the prone bodies of Daniel and Candice on the floor of the temple.

Jack and Sam had witnessed the amazing flash of yellow light and realizing it emanated from the temple they had high-tailed it there. They found Teal'c alive but unconscious. He was just starting to rouse as they got there.

Daniel and Candice were another story entirely. They were side by side on the floor of the temple, enveloped in a beam of yellow light originating from the pictograph of the seasons that they had been admiring.

They could see them breathing and Sam started taking readings to see if they could determine what was happening to their teammates.

Jack wanted to pull them out of the beam, but Sam stopped him, "I wouldn't, Sir. Look at their eyes, it's almost as if they are in a REM state. I don't know what pulling them out could do to them, Sir."

"Damn it." Was Jack's flat response.

\----------

Three months had passed since the fateful day they came through the gate. Candice and Daniel had settled into a working routine that kept them both occupied and hopeful.

They moved into one of the small outbuildings near the temple. A day's hard work re-thatching the roof provided them with a snug, dry place to sleep and store their food and they found many useful items left by the previous occupants. At first Daniel was loath to use them given their archeological significance but as time went on their need for things like a cooking pot outweighed the historical value.

Candice had found several fruits and vegetables that sustained them. And she worked diligently to dry and store as much as she could, not knowing how long or severe the winter could be.

Daniel spent his days in the temple trying to decipher its mysteries. He would also hike to the gate twice a day without fail and attempt to dial home.

The lack of animals and wildlife stymied both of them. Candice especially. The botanist in her demanded to know how all of the plant life was thriving without insects. But the answer wasn't forthcoming.

They found themselves returning to the easy companionship that had sparked before they left the SGC. The initial tension they both felt at being trapped on the planet had passed, and although they both longed to go home, they no longer took it out on each other.

\----------

It had taken almost two hours but finally Dr. Fraiser was crouching near Daniel and Candice. Jack had bit the bullet and reached over and touched Daniel to find out if it was safe to do so. And now that they knew it was, Janet was working quickly to try and assess what was happening.

She reported what she found to Jack, "Colonel, I can't explain it exactly. Sam was right in her initial assessment that they are in an REM like state, but it's like nothing I've ever seen before. Their brain patterns are through the roof. And they have no reaction to external stimuli. If I had to guess I would say that their brains are interacting somehow with whatever is emitting the beam. I would not advise trying to remove them from it. I have no idea what the consequences would be, for all we know they could end up in a permanent vegetative state.

The decision was made for Janet to set up shop around them and monitor while the rest of the team looked for a way to shut the beam down.

\----------

Shortly into their fifth month alone Candice made two discoveries that made their lives much more pleasant. The first was the discovery of two varieties of mint plant, nearly identical to peppermint and spearmint plants found on Earth. These made a wonderful addition to their diet and although it didn't contain caffeine the tea they could brew from them was hot and flavorful. They had a good laugh over the two coffee fiends turning into herbal tea drinkers but neither complained.

The second thing she found was a plant similar to hemp. Its fibrous stalk could be used for a multitude of things. Most notably paper.

She and Daniel had often bemoaned the fact that they were two scientists stuck on a planet with unlimited time to study but no paper on which to record anything. Candice worked hard trying to find a way to turn the plentiful plant into paper and she finally succeeded.

In the ruins they had found were large pottery casks that contained rolls of a finely woven homespun fabric. Using the fabric and a simple wooden frame she was able to craft several large sheets of a lumpy, not so white, not so square paper. Holding them behind her back she snuck up on Daniel in the temple, engrossed in a particular panel of etchings.

"I have a present for you Dr. Jackson." She teased.

He stood up and faced her, knowing the last time she had said that she had found the mint, "Is it my birthday?"

She laughed, "Um. I have no idea. I don't know when your birthday is actually. We'll just call this a ‘Spoil Daniel' present. Now close your eyes and hold out your hands."

He did as she instructed, "A ‘Spoil Daniel' present, huh? Should I be afraid?"

She placed the sheets on his outstretched hands and laughed, "Nope. You can open your eyes."

He looked at the lumpy sheets she had placed in his hands and it took a moment for what they were to sink in. He looked at her not believing, "You made paper?"

She was happily biting her lower lip and nodded. And suddenly found herself in a bear hug being swung around by a _very_ excited Daniel.

The end of their sixth month found them entering cooler weather. They both broke from their studies to stock up on firewood and any remaining foodstuffs that they could find. Both of them hoping that the winters on the planet wouldn't be too severe.

\----------

"They've been unconscious for approximately five hours, Sir. No change in their condition. We are continuing to monitor them. But until we know what affect pulling them away from that beam will have I recommend we wait it out." Janet had gone back to the gate to update General Hammond.

"Understood Doctor. Please keep me informed if there is any change."

Jack sat on the floor near Daniel and Candice, just staring at them. As if he could will them to wake up. "C'mon kids. Anytime you want to come back to us would be good."

\----------

Daniel found Candice sitting in one of her favorite spots by the river, the starry, moonlit sky twinkling off of the gently flowing water.

"Hi." He said sitting next to her.

"Hi." She replied still looking up at the stars. She seemed a little more introverted than normal and it bothered him.

"Penny for your thoughts."

She paused a moment, as if she really didn't want to tell him, but then she said quietly, "One of those is home."

The little catch in her voice spoke volumes, she was terribly homesick. So was he for that matter, but they never talked about it. Come to think of it, they never talked about their feelings or anything else important.

She continued in that same quiet voice, "You know Daniel, I spent my whole life wanting to visit other planets and now that I have, all I want to do is go home." She sniffled and he could see the tears starting to stream down her face.

He reached a tentative hand out and rubbed her back gently, "Me too Candice, me too."

She dropped her head to his shoulder and allowed him to comfort her. The contact was nice, they did not touch often. She had tried to figure out why a couple of months ago but had not been able to boil it down to any one reason. But as she sat nestled under his arm and could feel his warmth and the gentle rhythm of his breathing, she couldn't think of any logical reason why they didn't touch. She just didn't know.

Daniel knew. And the answer was simple really. He wanted her. He had wanted her practically since the time he first saw her in the commissary. He wanted to lose himself inside her, to tangle his hands in her hair and watch her arch and moan as he thrust into her. He wanted to hear her call his name as an orgasm ripped through her. Living with her in such close proximity was hell. He was a normal, healthy man with normal, healthy urges and concealing them was becoming more and more difficult. Like now.

She felt Daniel tense and looked up at his face. She could see his jaw flexing as he grit his teeth.

"Daniel, what's wrong?"

He released her suddenly and stood up. And for a quick second in the moonlight she saw the front of his worn BDU's tented out in front of him. And suddenly she understood. Understood why he never touched her, understood why he looked at her the way he did sometimes, understood why he would sometimes take off for a walk in the middle of a conversation. It was all crystal clear now. And she had to make a decision, act on it or ignore it. Given the fact that she too was a normal, healthy person with urges of her own, and the fact that she found Daniel to be incredibly sexy there was only one thing to do.

She grabbed his hand before he could walk away.

\----------

She cracked an eye and realized that she was not in her bedroll, and that she was using a gently rising and falling chest as a pillow. Her brain finally engaged and she smiled remembering the previous night.

When she had grabbed his hand it was almost as if the world had tilted and suddenly everything was lined up the way it should be. And that the last fifteen months had all been leading up to this moment.

At first he wouldn't turn and face her, so Candice moved in front of him and whispered, "Daniel?"

He wouldn't meet her eyes but in a hoarse voice replied, "Don't, Candice. Just let me go."

"Do you really want me to?" she challenged.

He whipped his head around to face her. And seeing the intensity in her face croaked out, "No."

Daniel reached up and gently stroked her cheek with a calloused thumb and she saw in the moonlight a softness in his eyes that she had never seen before. He bent his head and kissed her lightly, a chaste brush on the lips. Then he pulled back, "Candice, I have to tell you something."

"Okay." She replied lightly.

"I don't want you to think....well, I don't want you to think that this..." he gestured between the two of them, "is because we are stuck here. I've been, ah, attracted to you since I first saw you in the commissary. But then you were assigned to SG-1 and I had to put it aside so it wouldn't affect the team. But now, it's been just the two of us for so long I'm finding it harder and harder to hide it."

Candice placed a gentle hand on his chest, "Would it help if I told you that I a little disappointed to be assigned to SG-1 because I knew that it meant that you and I could never...and that I was and am very attracted to you too?"

"That helps a lot actually." He whispered and claimed her mouth feverishly. He pulled her to him so tightly she almost couldn't breath, not that she wanted to.

She found herself feeling like a precious artifact that he was studying as he undressed her. He studied her with his eyes, with his hands, and with his mouth. He was murmuring against her skin, in languages she didn't know. Every caress, every kiss, every whisper was fueling a growing ache in her and when he finally positioned himself over her and pressed himself into her, she couldn't do anything but cry out his name again and again.

The rest of the night was almost a blur of sensation. They touched and tasted each other to the point of exhaustion and finally fell asleep in each other's arms right there on a bed of soft moss near the bank of the river.

But now morning was breaking and Candice prayed that the daylight wouldn't bring awkwardness with it. She was trying to reach for her shirt without waking Daniel when she suddenly found her self rolled onto her back and a pair of blue eyes looking down at her, "Good morning," he said playfully and kissed her.

She couldn't help but giggle, "Well I guess that answers that question."

"What question?"

"Whether or not this morning was going to be awkward."

\----------

Their lives were good. They each had a lifetime's worth of things to study. They had plenty to eat and a safe, comfortable place they called home. And they had each other. The year and a half they had spent alone together had started forming a bond between them that was hard to define.

Candice often bemoaned the fact that she had no head for languages and envied the ease at which Daniel could swap between any of the almost two dozen that he knew. He tried unsuccessfully to teach her but it was hopeless.

"It doesn't make any sense Daniel. I swear they just made up words." She was exasperated trying to learn rudimentary Italian.

He laughed, "Well, at some point in antiquity that is most likely what happened. Do you want to go back to French?"

She playfully scowled at him, "No. I give up. Maybe I will just make up my own language instead. I can't do any worse."

Later that night in bed Daniel tried a different teaching technique. He pinned Candice underneath him and started whispering deliciously dirty things in her ear, first in English then French and Italian and a host of other languages. Before he would move inside her, she had to repeat them and she would have never thought that her brain crazed with lust would retain anything but she did.

As they lay there holding each other trying to catch their breath, and slow their heart rate down, Candice teased, "That's it. I'm definitely making up my own language. Diamar."

Daniel chuckled, "Diamar?"

"My first word. You'll just have to study my new language as it evolves Professor Jackson, to find out what it means."

He laughed and pulled her on top of him, "God, I love you." They both stilled instantly at the words that just slipped out of his mouth.

"Now that I don't need a translation for. And I even know how to reply. I love you too." She said and kissed him soundly.

\----------

"Colonel, why don't you go take a break. Take a walk, eat something. You've been sitting here for hours." Janet chided Jack.

He stood up with a heavy sigh, "You'll radio me if there is _any_ change?"

"You know I will sir."

Jack walked out of the temple and headed towards the river. He was a little stiff from sitting on the stone floor of the temple. Candice and Daniel had been lying there for eight hours without any change. He scrubbed his face roughly with his hands and tried to stretch and work the kinks out.

\----------

Candice and Daniel were sitting along the river as the stars started making their appearance. Both were quiet and a little contemplative. They both knew that the next day was the two year anniversary of their coming to this planet.

Daniel saw Candice lift her face to the sky and smile.

"What was that smile for?"

"I used to come out here and spend my time trying to figure out where home was, and I hated the sky, hated the stars themselves for not being familiar. So a while back I started making up my own constellations. Now after all this time, the stars are like old friends."

"It sounds like you've accepted this as being home."

"Nobody is coming for us Diamar. I had to make peace with that or go crazy. Didn't you?"

She knew he still hiked out to the gate every day to try the DHD. And although he never said anything she knew it bothered him that it did not appear that they would ever leave the planet.

He didn't say anything, and she didn't press. The seed had been planted in his mind though and he had to admit to himself that in all likelihood no one was coming for them. He had to force himself to accept that without feeling like he was giving in to pessimism. Maybe he had to look at what was right in front of him.

"What are your plans for tomorrow?" he asked quietly.

She made a little face, "Er, weeding the garden and starting the new seedlings. Why?"

"I was thinking we could pack up a couple days worth of supplies and go exploring." He knew she had been dying to do that for months. But he had been unwilling to be so far away from the gate. It was his way of telling her that he was willing to start accepting their situation for what it was.

\----------

"General, it's been twelve hours and I just wanted to give you a status report. There has been no change in their condition, and we still can't access whatever it is that's causing the beam."

"Thank you, Doctor. I don't have to tell you to keep me informed."

"Of course not, Sir."

\----------

The winters were thankfully not severe and although the temperature was cold the days were bright with sunshine. They sat at the little table in the house playing chess. They had spent hours carving and crafting the pieces out of wood. And had spent countless more hours hunched over the board. And more often than not, like today, Daniel was winning.

He moved his piece and took a sip of tea, "So tomorrow is Valentine's Day." He had an indiscernible look on his face.

She teased back, "Doctor Jackson, are you asking me to be your Valentine?"

A little grin quirked up the corners of his mouth, "No. I wanted to ask you if you'll marry me tomorrow."

"Marry you, Diamar? How? We're the only two people here."

"We can still say the vows and make the promise, even do a hand fasting. So, marry me D'Diamar? Be my wife?"

She still got a kick out of the fact that he had figured out what her made up word meant. She never got around to making up a whole language, but that one word provided them with endless entertainment as Daniel tried to decipher it. He had hashed through his mind all the times she used it and one sunny day as he bathed by the river its meaning just leapt out at him. And later that night with her spooned in front of him in bed he teased in her ear, "So my beloved, my Diamar. Are you going to make up a new word for me to figure out?" She had laughed and told him that it was about time he figured it out.

Coming back to the present she said with a smile, "Well, in that case, I would be honored to marry you tomorrow, Diamar."

\----------

Janet was having an impromptu meeting with Jack, Sam and Teal'c. It had been twenty-four hours and they were still no closer to a resolution than they were the day before. Jack was not a happy camper.

"I want them out of here, Doc."

"I understand that, Colonel. But I am not risking giving both of them permanent brain damage before we know what is going on."

Jack let out an exasperated, "Arghh." And stormed out of the temple.

\----------

Daniel found his wife lying on her back looking up at the stars and laughing. In the six years that they had been marooned, she had made friends with the stars. They brought her comfort and amused her.

He sat down next to her and leaned over to give her a kiss, "What is so funny?"

"I can't tell you."

"There isn't anything you can't tell me."

"Oh, this will make you think I've gone over the nutty edge."

"We did that years ago, when we tried to move that stupid rock out of your garden."

"I have no comment."

"Back to my original question, what are you laughing at?"

"Promise not to laugh?"

"I promise." He teased, crossing his heart.

"Well I got bored just making up constellations so I started making up aliens too. And it all sort of evolved into this running alien soap opera I have going in my head."

He looked down at her incredulously and was trying very, very hard not to laugh. He finally couldn't contain it and burst out, "Alien soap opera?" and he howled with laughter.

She playfully punched his arm, "You promised not to laugh."

He tried to put on a very controlled expression to no avail, but he did stop laughing, "Ok, so fill me in on your little universe." He lay down next to her and they spent the rest of the night laughing together as she introduced him to all her aliens and their plots.

Both of them missed things like books and magazines. They had agile minds, and while they each had plenty to study on the planet in their particular fields, the need for recreation still presented a challenge. Daniel was glad that she found ways to keep her sense of humor. She loved to laugh, and loved to make him laugh.

\----------

Janet and Sam were absolutely stymied. They were no closer to figuring out what was happening as the two day mark came around. Both were exhausted and starting to stumble and mumble.

Jack ordered both of them to eat and get some sleep. He took over watching his incapacitated teammates and settled himself near them. He knew intellectually that it wasn't his fault, but they were his responsibility and he felt guilty.

\----------

After dinner Candice made a weak excuse that she was tired and went to bed. Daniel thought it was a little odd. But then again she had been acting a little off the past few days. Something was bothering her. He played a one-sided game of chess then joined her in their sleeping area. She was curled in a ball facing away from the room and he could almost see the tension in her body. He tried to think if he had inadvertently done or said anything to hurt her feelings, he couldn't recall anything.

He slipped into bed and spooned up behind her and reached up to stroke her cheek to discover tears streaming down it. He whispered, "What's wrong?"

She turned towards him and buried her face in his chest and cried. He didn't know what to do or say so he just held her tightly until the crying storm passed.

He heard her breathing even out and felt the sobs wracking her body stop and he waited for her to speak.

"It was my dad's birthday last week."

Daniel knew how much she loved her father. She gave up talking about him much after the first year they were stuck on the planet. He had figured it was her way of coping with the loss, but he knew she missed him terribly.

"I didn't know." He said gently.

"I know. I just realized a couple of days ago what the date was back home. He'd be eighty-seven, if he's even alive."

"From what you told me, he's a tough old Marine."

"Yeah. He's probably flirting with all the nurses at the veteran's home." She sniffed and got very quiet again.

Daniel went out on a limb, finding it hard to believe that all her tears were because of her father, "Is that all that's bothering you?"

She whispered something into his chest that he didn't catch, "What is it Candice? Please tell me."

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what, D'Diamar?" he was thoroughly confused.

"I'm sorry I never gave you a child."

"Oh, Candice. It's no one's fault. It just wasn't meant to be." He squeezed her tightly. It wasn't something they had ever really talked about. But he shared her sense of loss over it. He chalked it up to one more thing the planet had taken from them.

\---------------

Two days turned into four, then into six without any change in Daniel or Candice's condition. Jack was becoming almost unbearable. Janet practically had to threaten him with being ordered back to the infirmary to get him to eat and rest. She finally recruited Teal'c to keep Jack out of her hair.

\---------------

The years had passed quickly for them. Fifteen years slipped into twenty, twenty into thirty, and even the forty year mark had slipped by. Theirs was a simple, gentle life.

Daniel's hair and beard were long and grey. He leaned heavily upon a walking staff and his trips to the temple were less frequent as he struggled with the stairs leading into it. Candice's hair went the color of burnished silver and the lines on her face reflected her years of smiling and laughing. They were old, old and tired.

They made their way to bed as they had for countless nights before. And as they had for so many years Candice curled up next to him with her head nestled on his shoulder and her hand on his heart, "Good night, Diamar. I love you."

He kissed the top of her head and whispered back, "I love you too, D'Diamar. Sleep well."

\---------------

It was Jack's shift to watch them as the dawn broke on the eighth day. The eerie yellow beam kept the temple illuminated all the time and when it suddenly turned off it took Jack a moment to react.

He yelled for Janet and Sam while finding his flashlight. As soon as Janet, Sam and Teal'c arrived, the chaos of getting the unconscious pair back to the SGC infirmary commenced.

\---------------  
tbc...


	2. Chapter 2

Daniel cautiously opened his eyes, and found himself in the familiar surroundings of the SGC infirmary. Dr. Fraiser seeing that he was sitting up quickly made her way to his bedside, "Daniel can you hear me?"

He stared at his hands, no longer the hands of an eighty-year old. He touched his face to find himself clean-shaven. Touching his hair he found it short and soft not long and coarse. Something wasn't right. What was happening? And where was Candice?

When he didn't answer Dr. Fraiser asked again, "Daniel can you hear me?"

He nodded and winced as she shined a penlight in his eye.

"Do you know where you are?"

His throat was dry and he rasped out, "SGC, infirmary."

She let him have a sip of water and he asked, "How long?"

"You've been unconscious for eight days."

He felt like he was on tilt-a-whirl, eight days? That couldn't be right. They had been trapped with on the planet, for all those years. What about D'Diamar, and their lifetime together? He tried to process it all.

"Where is Candice?" he asked suddenly almost panicking. His heart monitor and EEG going almost off the chart.

"She's here too Daniel." Dr. Fraiser said, very concerned over his obvious distress and the spike in his vitals. He calmed down a bit, but was still agitated.

He was losing his mind. That was all he could determine. It must have all been some sort of dream his subconscious created while he was unconscious. But it seemed so real. All of it. No one would ever believe him.

"Daniel what do you last remember?" she asked gently.

Daniel wanted to scream at that question, he last remembered holding D'Diamar in the bed they had shared for forty-seven years. But he couldn't say that. They would think he'd completely lost it. So he lied somehow knowing exactly what she wanted to hear, "Looking at pictures on the temple wall then a bright yellow flash, then waking up here."

Dr. Fraiser was satisfied with his answer and did not press further but she could still see that he was agitated and ordered a mild sedative to calm him down without knocking him out.

\----------

Unbeknownst to Daniel, Candice was in the next bed over from him and was also waking up. She too had stared at her hands and pulled a lock of hair forward to see it was brown and not silver. She almost panicked when she looked towards her left wrist and saw the bracelet Daniel made her for their tenth anniversary missing. She was trying hard not to hyperventilate when she heard Daniel's voice. She listened hard. He didn't mention any of it. Nothing about them being trapped, nothing about them being alone for almost fifty years.

Hearing what he told Dr. Fraiser she decided that she must have been dreaming in her unconscious state. But what a dream it was. So vivid, so detailed, an entire lifetime together. But it wasn't real. He hadn't shared it with her. Oh god how could she look at him and not see _her_ Diamar? Not touch him, not hold him, and not sleep with him. She didn't know if she would survive this.

They realized she was awake and gave her the same exam and questions they had Daniel and she made her answers match his although it almost killed her inside to do it. Seeing her vitals shoot up the same as Daniel's Dr. Fraiser also ordered a mild sedative for her.

Daniel heard every word she said and he had never felt any emotional pain quite like it when she told Dr. Fraiser what she remembered. It had all been in his head. She didn't share any of the memories of a life together, of loving him and growing old together. He didn't know if he would survive this.

\----------

Dr. Fraiser immediately stepped outside and notified General Hammond, and the rest of SG-1 that they were awake and soon thereafter Sam, Jack and Teal'c entered the infirmary. Dr. Fraiser made them promise not to stress either Daniel or Candice as she was still concerned about their vital sign spikes and let them know they might be a little groggy and out of sorts because of the sedatives.

Jack and Teal'c went to Daniel's bedside to see him curled up on his side, his back to the curtain that Jack knew Candice was behind. He was surprised to see that Daniel was fighting tears and figured it must be a stress reaction. He didn't say anything to Daniel, just gave his should a squeeze of support and after exchanging a look with Teal'c they left him sensing that Daniel needed privacy.

Sam meanwhile had gone to see Candice to find her curled up with silent tears leaking down her cheeks. Sam didn't know what to say, Candice did not seem like a weepy sort of woman and Sam suspected she wouldn't appreciate being treated like one. She gave Candice's arm a gentle rub and placed a small package of tissues near her on the bed and left.

Jack caught her before she could see Daniel, and he indicated that they should go. In the hall he let out the deep breath he had been holding. "They look like hell, Carter. Do we have any information yet on what it was that hit them?"

"No sir, the Asgard are sending a ship to survey, but it won't get there for week or so. Sir, Candice was crying. Did Janet say anything as to why she was so upset?

"No. And she wasn't the only one crying Daniel was too. That's why I pulled you out, to give him some privacy."

"Do they remember anything?"

"Just a flash of yellow light, then waking up here. Not very helpful."

"We'll figure it out sir."

\----------

Both Daniel and Candice spent a long sleepless first night. Both fighting off the urge to try and run and climb into bed with the other.

It was about four in the morning when Daniel called out to her, "Candice?" He really wanted to call out D'Diamar but they would know he had gone over the edge.

"Daniel?" came her soft hesitant reply. She wanted to hear his voice, hear him call her D'Diamar, hear him tell her it would all be okay, hear him say that he still loved her.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. No. I don't know. Are you okay?"

"Same as you. I think Janet is slipping us a sedative."

"Yeah."

"You should get some sleep, maybe they will let us out of here tomorrow."

"You should too Daniel. Good night."

"Good night." And he though he didn't vocalize it he mouthed a silent D'Diamar at the end.

\----------

The next day they had Sam, Jack and Teal'c visit and the curtain between them was thrown open. It was the first time they had seen each other since waking up. Daniel had to force himself not to stare. His last memory of her was that of his almost eighty-two year old wife lying in his arms and not the young woman in the other bed. He hadn't seen _her_ in forty-seven years. God it almost hurt to see her.

Candice was also not really prepared to see Daniel. She had a mental image of him from the last night they were together and she could picture every line on his face and his long gray hair and beard glowing in the firelight as he held her. It just didn't match the handsome man in the bed next to her. This man was the one she fell in love with so long ago. She almost had to bite back a sob.

Jack tried teasing them both and Sam was chatting about what they knew about the beam that hit them, both of them realizing that their audience was very quiet and pensive. Teal'c did not say much but rather stood back and observed the two.

Teal'c kept his observations to himself until the three of them were at lunch, "There seems to be a great sadness between them that was not there previously."

Knowing that Teal'c didn't make random statements like that, Jack pressed for more, "Whatdaya mean?"

"I observed that they would barely look at each other. And that their initial reaction upon seeing one another was one of shock. I believe there is something that they are not telling us."

"I thought they were getting along fine before getting zapped Teal'c."

"Indeed, they appeared to be very comfortable with one another and were both enjoying the exploration of the ruins. Which is why I do not understand this sadness that I see."

Sam had been sitting quietly absorbing Teal'c's words, "Do you think something happened between the time they were zapped and the time they woke up?"

"I do not know. But it does seem likely."

"Carter..." Jack started.

"I know sir, I will look into it and bring it to the Asgard's attention as well. They probably shouldn't leave the base until we know for sure."

"I'll take care of that. I don't want to freak either of them out any more than they are but I don't want a potential situation here in the SGC either. Do you think we need to quarantine them?"

"Hard to say sir, we should talk to Dr. Fraiser and see what their actual medical tests indicate. We can just as easily confine them to the base and assign teams to monitor their activities."

"Good plan."

\----------

Dr. Fraiser released them both the next day, confining them to quarters unless it was to go to the commissary for meals and she kept stressing that they both needed rest. A lot of rest.

Daniel and Candice hadn't spoken since that first night and they didn't as they went their separate ways to their quarters. Neither of them noticed the guards trailing behind them.

Candice fell into her bed and hugged a pillow to her chest and sobbed, letting out all the pent-up emotions from the last couple of days. She finally cried herself to sleep with all of the lights on in her quarters. The airman watching the video loop from her quarters made careful notes about her behavior for the Colonel

Daniel made it to his quarters in a daze. He didn't go to his bed, he didn't know if he would ever be able to sleep in a bed without her. He leaned back against a wall just staring at his bed and slid down it and just kept staring. He finally laid his head on his bent knees and fell asleep. Another airman documented his behavior for the Colonel as well.

Candice woke eight hours later and realized she needed to eat and she wanted a cup of tea. She headed for the commissary and looked over the choices, everything seemed heavy and too much. She finally settled on a plain baked potato and a pile of simple salad greens. She got a cup of mint tea and settled in at a table to eat.

She picked at the food, eating very little. But the mint tea was familiar and gave her comfort. She finally gave up the effort and made her way back to her quarters. She missed Daniel entering the commissary by a mere moment.

He too looked at the food as being too heavy and processed. He finally settled on a plain baked potato, a couple of raw carrots, and a bowl of salad greens. He went to get coffee and found that the smell almost turned his stomach. He went for a cup of mint tea instead. He picked at his food without much of an appetite. The tea made him almost want to weep it was so familiar. He finished it and got another cup as he left to go back to his quarters.

  
The airmen observing the pair made their detailed notes for the Colonel and continued to watch.

\----------

This routine of theirs continued for almost a week after being released from the infirmary. The two had made no effort to contact each other and their behavior was worrying those that cared about them.

Janet had been analyzing their brain activity during their period of being unconscious and she found something startling.

"Basically sir by comparing the data from Daniel and Candice to normal human sleep patterns it is almost as if they crammed almost fifty years of brain activity into the eight days they were unconscious in that beam of light. It explains why they are exhausted and sleeping all the time. And if we knew what their brains were actually doing we might have a clue as to their current mental state and behaviors."

"Do you think they are a danger to this facility Doctor?" General Hammond asked pointedly.

"I don't believe so sir, they were both friendly extroverted people before the incident and what I see happening is them becoming more and more withdrawn and introverted. I am worried about their mental status for them personally and not as a security risk."

"When are the Asgard going to reach the planet to survey?"

Sam piped in, "They should be there tomorrow sir."

"Very well, we will continue as we are for the time being. Hopefully the Asgard will find an answer."

\----------

She liked sleeping, sleeping and dreaming allowed her to return to her dream world and relive memories of happy times with Daniel. She found that if she thought of some specific event or time right before she went to sleep that her dreams would pick right up on it. She tried not to focus on making love with Daniel because although the memory/dream was wonderful her heart and body ached for him when she awoke.

Food was becoming a problem, she really had no appetite. She longed for the simple meals they shared, and the foods that she could so clearly remember eating for so long. She found comfort only in the mint tea. It reminded her of home, well her dream home anyway, and her Daniel.

Daniel had mixed feelings about sleep, he could hold her when he slept, could breathe in her scent and the softness of her hair. He could feel her heartbeat and the shape of her breast in his hand. He could remember what it felt like to slide himself into her and hear her cry out his name. He hated waking, alone and on the floor because he still couldn't sleep in the bed, with an arousal so intense it hurt. Cold showers fixed part of the problem but the ache in his heart grew and he almost hated to go to sleep just because he had to wake up.

He also wasn't eating, he wanted the tangy grilled yellow tubers that they never named, he wanted the large beans that Candice had found a hundred and one ways to cook, he wanted the sweet berries that she dried so they could eat them like candy. And he wanted to have her beside him sharing it. His only solace was in the many cups of mint tea he drank each day. If he closed his eyes as he drank it he could almost go home.

\----------

Two weeks after they woke up Colonel O'Neill was called to the commissary ASAP. When he got there he found Daniel's two monitors holding him back from attacking the officer in charge of the commissary.

"WHAT is going on here?" Jack demanded.

The officer tried to explain that Daniel became very upset to discover they were out of a particular tea and when the officer told him it was on order and they would have it in a couple of days Daniel went ballistic.

Daniel was practically snarling as the airmen held him, "Jack it doesn't take days to get tea. I can go to the damn store right now and get it myself. I want the mint tea, not the oolong, not the raspberry, not the chamomile. I want the mint tea."

There was something in Daniel's eyes that Jack had never seen before. A pain and longing that was inexplicable. Even Daniel's drive to find Sha're hadn't been that intense. Jack didn't understand but he was suddenly very afraid for his friend.

He ordered the airmen to escort Daniel back to his quarters after Daniel heard him order another airman to drive into town and secure the preferred tea at the local grocery store. Jack then turned to the commissary officer and told him in no uncertain terms that he wanted three cases of that mint tea in the commissary tomorrow, no excuses.

He decided to give Daniel a little time to cool down then went to see him. He found him sitting in the dark in front of his computer just staring at the screen. As Jack came around to see what he was looking at Daniel quickly closed the computer window and Jack missed what he was looking at.

"Daniel talk to me. What is going on in that brain of yours?"

"Nothing Jack."

"Obviously Danny, because you always try to rip people's heads off when they are out of tea."

"I overreacted."

"Uh YEAH. But why is what I want to know."

"Jack I'm tired and gonna get some sleep. Can we do this another time?"

Sensing that Daniel had shut down and he wasn't going to get anywhere Jack left. But he made a pit stop into Sam's lab and had her pull up the file that Daniel had been looking at that he didn't want Jack to see. They were both surprised and wondered what it meant. They had a meeting with Janet that afternoon to discuss Daniel and Candice.

\----------

"I'm getting worried about them physically at this point. They aren't really eating. They both went from being die-hard coffee drinkers to living on that mint tea. Daniel still isn't sleeping in his bed, and Candice won't turn off the lights in her quarters and seems to be rubbing the top of her left wrist all the time and I haven't figured out why. Both are getting more and more despondent. If I had to put a label on it I would call it grief. Like you would see when a long-term spouse dies."

Jack's ears perked up at that last comment, "Janet when I went to see Daniel earlier he had something up on his computer screen that he didn't want me to see. I had Sam pull up the file and it was Candice's personnel picture. Not the whole file, just the picture."

Sam sat up, "According to the monitor's reports they haven't seen each other since they were released from the infirmary. They haven't even tried. But it was mentioned that Candice took a picture off the community bulletin board in the commissary, it was a casual shot of Daniel at the New Year's Eve party."

Janet looked puzzled, "We are missing something. Have the Asgard come up with anything yet?"

"They found the device responsible and are analyzing it. But have no clue as to its purpose."

"Well if their behaviors get much worse we should consider maybe sedating them until we can figure out what is going on."

\----------

Two and a half weeks after waking up Candice decided to write, to write it all down and exorcise it from her mind. Maybe that would help. She filled notebook after notebook. She practically stopped sleeping altogether in her desire to get it all out of her system. Her monitors noted the change in her behavior and alerted the Colonel. They attempted to borrow the notebooks to read them but found that she kept them on her at all times as if she were afraid that anyone would read them.

Daniel was also bitten by the urge to write, and spent hours at his computer typing. He was typing his findings from his almost fifty years of studying the writings in the temple. He hoped that by focusing on work that he might be able to put all the rest out of his mind. His monitors also noted this change in behavior. When they accessed the file to see what he had written they found it written in a language that no one knew and they couldn't make any sense out of it.

\----------

Almost three weeks after waking Candice requested to speak to Jack. After getting the request he practically flew to her quarters, hopefully to get answers of any kind. He did not expect the request she made of him.

"Colonel I would like permission to go outside tomorrow. I haven't been outside in so long. And I would really like to see the sun rise. When I first got here I found a nice little bench on a path up the mountain that has a great view and I enjoyed it."

Jack was stymied at what she was asking him. It was such an odd request.

"You can send an escort sir I would just really like to see the sun rise. It would mean a lot to me."

He could see in her eyes how much it meant to her, and saw the same pain and longing there that he saw in Daniel's eyes. "I don't have a problem but I will have to clear it with the General."

She gave him a quick weak smile, "Thank you Colonel."

Jack went and spoke with Hammond and they decided to grant her request, with a fully armed escort of course.

He stopped by her quarters to tell her and thanked him again. He saw that she had an armful of clean clothes and her toiletries. Seeing his questioning look she said, "I'm going to go take a nice long soak in a tub and relax. I've been sitting too much and it will take the kinks out."

Jack smiled and nodded and noticed the notebooks on the desk. The wheels were turning in his mind. He had a female officer verify that Candice was in fact soaking in a tub and then had the notebooks removed and quickly photocopied so they could read them, then replaced with Candice none the wiser.

He found Sam a goodly way through the photocopy and in near tears. "Oh Colonel, it's so sad, I don't understand how it happened but I think I know what happened." She handed him the first page to read.

_I don't know where exactly to start this tale. At the beginning with the yellow flash of light? Or here at the end where I've decided that I am losing my mind? And what's worse is that I am almost welcoming the loss because then I can go home in my mind forever. Home to Daniel and the life we made, even if it was a dream._

_The pages following this one will tell the story of that dream, the story of my living with and loving Daniel for almost forty-eight years. I know now that it is a dream, something my brain created in the instant of that flash of yellow light. But for me it was real. I know he, the Daniel in the here and now, didn't share my dream, and doesn't love me. If he had shared the dream the Daniel I love would have come to me and we would have faced all this together. So I know I am alone. And I ache for someone that exists only in my mind, for the life we built, the home we shared, and the love we made._

_I have been watching the calendar with trepidation as February 14th comes ever closer. In my dream my Daniel and I pledged ourselves to one another on the day set aside for lovers. After three years alone together we bound our hands, hearts and spirits together forever in a ceremony as old as man and as the sunrise washed over us starting a new day, we started our new life. But now as the date draws near, although three whole years early, I find my spirit crying out for its other half. Maybe I can go outside and see the sunrise and remember the words we promised. _

_I feel the need to write this all down, as if by writing it down it would make it all real. But even if its not at least it will be written down as I crawl further back into my happy memories so people will understand that I have gone back to the man I pledged my whole self to._

Jack read the first page twice and immediately called Janet to Sam's lab. Then he called General Hammond.

\----------

"So let me get this straight. You are proposing that after getting zapped by the yellow light in the temple that Daniel and Candice believed themselves to be trapped on the planet alone and proceeded to fall in love, get married and live there by themselves for almost fifty years. But this all only happened in their minds in the eight days they were unconscious?"

"That is the theory sir. It would fit the brain wave data and their patterns of behavior and my feelings that they are caused by extreme grief. Imagine living an entire lifetime with someone you love dearly, growing old with them, then waking up suddenly to find it was all a dream that the other person doesn't acknowledge and that you have fifty years of memories of a life that doesn't exist. It would be devastating. And frankly I am surprised after reading this that they are functioning as well as they are." Janet's eyes were still red after trying hard not to cry as she read Candice's journal.

"But neither of them has said anything since they woke up?"

"No sir. It doesn't surprise me though. Would you admit something like that? They were both probably afraid we would think they were either compromised or crazy and would lock them up and throw away the key."

Sam had been quietly listening, she had read the entire journal and had a good cry. She couldn't imagine being Candice right now, real or not, she and Daniel shared a lifetime and now she felt alone. "Sir I think that given the fact that they are both exhibiting the same behaviors we can probably assume that Daniel has the same memories. And I wonder if the biggest problem for them both isn't that they have a lifetime of memories together but that they both feel like it only happened in _their_ mind and that the other person doesn't know and they feel terribly alone."

Jack snapped his fingers, "That's why she wanted to go see the sunrise tomorrow, it's their anniversary in her mind. I wonder if Daniel is watching the calendar too."

They all threw out ideas and suggestions on how to proceed but until the Asgard could figure out the machine they didn't want to take any drastic steps. So they decided to leave things as they stood but would see what tomorrow morning's sunrise brought. Jack issued orders that Daniel was to be given unrestricted movement tomorrow morning with an escort.

\----------

Later that night Jack found Sam in her lab reading Candice's journal again, "Find anything new?"

Sam sniffed and wiped away a single tear that escaped her eye, "No sir. I just..."

He held up his own copy and said gently, "I know."

"I just can't imagine loving someone for almost fifty years then having it all taken away. I mean there are people I've known a lot less than fifty years that I would be devastated to lose." she was pointedly staring at Jack when she said it.

"I know, me too." For anyone monitoring them, it was a casual conversation about the current situation, but for them they knew they were speaking about each other.

\----------

Daniel was pacing his quarters like a caged animal. He knew what tomorrow was. It had been his idea to pledge themselves on Valentine's Day. The words they vowed echoed in his head. He decided he was finally going insane. There were days that he just slept, lost in the memories of her. There were days he paced and was angry. There were days he just sobbed in the shower where he hoped no one was listening. And he also decided that if he were in fact going crazy that he would like to have it over and done with already, so he could escape and go home, even if it was only in his mind.

As the clock ticked closer to morning he made up his mind about something, he was going to see the sunrise. And maybe drag Candice with him. She wasn't his Candice but maybe she would spend some time with him and he could pretend.

As it got closer to sunrise there were many people on edge. Sam, Jack, Teal'c and Janet were all pacing in Jack's office. Candice was getting dressed for her outside excursion. And Daniel had not slept all night and continued to pace his quarters.

Candice smiled at her escort as she exited her quarters, they made a quick stop in the commissary so she could grab a tea to take with her and they headed out to the trail bench so she could await the sunrise.

Daniel had finally had it and threw open the door to his quarters and headed for Candice's quarters. Reaching it he pounded on the door like a madman. When she still didn't answer he asked the airman stationed outside of he quarters where she was. When he told Daniel that she had gone outside a little while ago something clicked in his brain.

She might not be _his_ Candice but maybe her spirit was calling to him. He turned to head outside, remembering her telling him a long time ago about some bench that she had found that she liked to watch the sunrise from. As he passed the entrance to the locker rooms he made a quick side trip to get something out of his pack. The airmen escorting him were a little concerned but the Colonel had told them to give Daniel the freedom to do what he wanted short of hurting someone else or himself. Finding what he was looking for he ran to the exit to get outside.

\----------

Jack, Sam, Teal'c and Janet were all following Daniel a short distance behind him. Sam and Jack each carried a zat, figuring that if things got out of hand they could stun one or both of them.

\----------

The morning's sunrise was as beautiful as she knew it would be. She stood there with her back to the path sipping her tea and trying not to sob, the silent tears running down her cheeks were bad enough.

Daniel made his way up the path and found her. He saw the two armed escorts standing a respectful distance away while she enjoyed her sunrise. He suddenly didn't know what to say. But he could swear that he could feel her heart calling to him.

"D'Diamar?" the voice she had longed to hear said from behind her. She turned to face the owner of that voice with tears running down her cheeks.

"It wasn't a dream?" she asked in a wavering voice.

"No. D'Diamar it wasn't a dream."

She stood there in shock, her tea dropped carelessly to the ground. She took a tentative step towards him.

"But..." she couldn't finish and just shook her head in disbelief.

Daniel didn't hide his own tears as he held up the piece of rope he got from his pack in his left hand, "Today, on this day for lovers I pledge myself to you. From this day to my last and beyond I want to be with you, to love and be loved. You will always be my Diamar."

She looked at the pain and longing haunting his eyes that she recognized from her own haunted mirror image. She stepped towards him to mesh her left hand with his around the rope and took a deep breath, "Today I entwine my hand, my heart and my soul with yours. And I promise you this moment and all my future. You are my Diamar and always will be."

They each took the ends of the rope and wrapped it around each of their hands. Then they just stood there drinking in the sight of each other's faces, not saying a word, not moving.

Those watching were humbled by the raw emotion flowing from the two of them. Sam and Janet both had tears in their eyes that started freely flowing when they saw Daniel reach his free hand out and stroke Candice's hair and slip around her neck to pull her in for a fierce kiss.

Their kissing grew more intense, both of them pouring all the longing and love they had penned up inside into it. They couldn't get close enough.

Daniel had his face buried in her hair, just holding her tightly. Both of them whispering back and forth, mostly, "I'm sorry." "I missed you." and most importantly, "I love you."

Jack dismissed the airmen acting as escorts. He gave them a few minutes then walked over to Daniel and Candice, "Hi."

Daniel said, "Hi Jack." without taking his eyes away from her face.

"You guys think we can take this party inside?"

"Yeah Jack, just a give us a minute."

"You betcha." Jack said as he walked back to the others.

Candice and Daniel carefully unwrapped the rope binding them together and Daniel tucked it away safely in his pocket. He looked in her eyes and stroked her cheek, "I thought I was losing my mind, that our whole life together didn't really happen. I should have talked to you."

She placed her hand over his on her cheek, "Insanity was looking pretty good if the alternative was living without you Diamar. I didn't think anyone would believe me. And when I heard you tell Janet that all you remembered was the flash then waking up I figured it was all in my head. I thought I was all alone."

"I said that because that's what they wanted to hear, and I needed time to try and figure things out. I didn't know that you heard me. I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry too, I should have tried to talk to you, see if you were as confused and scared as I was. But everything just fell apart."

"I know D'Diamar, I know. We're not alone. Let's go inside and we can try and sort all this out."

They walked hand in hand back into the SGC much to the relief of their colleagues.

\----------

Jack made a quick decision when they were back inside, he turned to Candice and Daniel and said, "Okay kids we are going to have a meeting about this at 1300 hours in the briefing room. That should give everyone time to do whatever they need to do. Don't be late."

He then lowered his voice and said to Daniel, "I'll take care of the cameras in your quarters."

Daniel nodded his thanks and he and Candice went off hand in hand to his quarters.

Jack nabbed Janet before she could leave, "I need your help. We can't turn the cameras off for them but I can turn the tape off if two officers witness the live feed. Will you help me?"

She nodded and they went off to evict the junior officers from the monitoring room.

\----------

Daniel opened the door to his quarters for Candice and she went inside a little shyly. He closed and locked the door and moved to stand behind her. He snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him, breathing in her scent and remembering the feel of her hair on his cheek.

Feeling his arms around her she suddenly started sobbing and couldn't stop. Daniel turned her around and pulled her into a tight embrace, "Shhh everything is fine now. It's going to be okay."

"Daniel how is everything going to be okay? I'm thirty-five years old and I have eighty-two years worth of memories stuck in my head. We shared an entire lifetime that only we remember. And for the last three weeks I've felt like someone ripped my soul out. How is any of this going to be okay?"

"We're not alone anymore Candice. We've got each other. And Jack and Sam and the others will help us get through it. And you have to know that I loved my life alone with you, all of it. I wouldn't trade it for anything."

"I loved it too Daniel."

"C'mere." He said as he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her into his lap. "Tell me a favorite thing you've been remembering, I know I've spent a lot of time remembering lately. I bet you have too."

"Daniel." she said with a weird little grin.

"Just share, I'll tell you mine after."

"Okay. You remember the rock? I think about that when I've been trying to smile." She actually giggled as she said it.

"I hated that boulder." He mimicked her, "Daniel honey can you help me dig out this rock that is sticking up in my garden?" He laughed and teased her, "That thing must have been the size of a house. It was easier to move the whole garden."

"Your turn." she said as she entwined her fingers with his and studied his hand.

"Your planetarium. I loved lying out in the grass with you as you created your own constellations."

"And aliens, don't forget all my aliens." They were both chuckling over that and it felt so right so be touching, and talking, and laughing together.

"Your turn."

"You teaching me how to swear properly in twenty languages. Something I just remembered that definitely needs to be added to my resume." She was laughing so hard she just buried her face in his neck.

He leaned down and gave her a little kiss and whispered, "I remember how sexy it was when you would shout out all those words in bed too. Especially in the right context"

She blushed bright red and kissed him back, "I don't recall being the only one shouting them in bed Diamar."

They both laughed and a few more kisses passed. They played the game back and forth for a while although they finally stretched out on the bed to be comfortable. Candice on her back with Daniel lying on his side with his head propped up on his hand.

Daniel was gently tracing her lips with his finger and his expression grew serious and his voice low with emotion, "The thing that I remember most, and it's so crystal clear in my mind, was the first time I kissed you, and the first time I made love to you. I dream it every time I go to sleep and I ache for you when I wake up. I haven't slept in a bed since we got out of the infirmary. I just couldn't. Not without you."

She saw the tears threatening to fall and pulled his face to hers and claimed his mouth. She saw the need in his eyes and felt it within herself, and she whispered into his mouth, "Daniel."

The word had barely gotten out of her mouth when he nestled himself on top of her and kissed her breathless, he loved doing that to her. It had taken him two years to perfect the technique and he hadn't forgotten.

\---------------

Jack and Janet were watching, somewhat relieved that although Daniel and Candice had a fairly hot and heavy make out session that they didn't take it any further than that. And at the moment the two of them were curled up in each other's arms napping and looking more relaxed than they had in weeks.

"So Doc, you think they're gonna be all right?"

"I honestly don't know, Colonel. But this seems to be a good start. Now if they'll actually eat something I'll be ecstatic."

\---------------

Daniel's watch beeped and he opened his eyes, although for a moment in his not-awake state he didn't want to because he swore that he could feel Candice with him. His brain engaged fully when he realized that there was in fact a soft, warm body entwined with his. And a gentle smile crossed his lips as he watched her sleep.

He traced her lip with his finger and watched her expression go from confused to happy as she woke up. She reached up and stroked his cheek, "I thought I was dreaming there for a minute."

"I know, I did the same thing. We should probably go get some lunch before the briefing. Hungry?"

She kissed him and laughed as she sat up, "Starving. For the first time since we woke up."

"Me too. I've been living on baked potatoes and salads."

They headed to the commissary noticing the weird looks they were getting in the corridors but not commenting. The odd looks continued as they got their trays and got in the food service line. The officer who's head Daniel had almost taken off over the mint tea saw them both in line and offered, "We'll have your potatoes in just a couple of minutes Dr. Jackson, Dr. Cooper."

A wide grin spread over Daniel's face, "Now that's something that's got to get changed."

The officer looked at Daniel in horror trying to figure out what he had screwed up that Colonel O'Neill was going to ride him for now.

Candice realized that he was talking to her and not the panicking officer in front of them, "What's that Diamar?"

"Your name."

She laughed. They had had a long winded discussion about the topic soon after their first hand fasting. Actually it was more of a one-sided discussion as Daniel had gone on and on about all the pros and cons of her changing her name once they were back home. Candice had finally been able to get a work in edgewise when he stopped for a breath and she took the opportunity to take his face in her hands and say very seriously, "Daniel, I will be proud to be known as Dr. Candice Jackson. It's not a tough decision." The look of adoration on his face let her know exactly how much that meant to him.

"It would probably help if we were actually married, Daniel."

He looked at her and grimaced, "Yeah, huh? There is that minor technicality."

"We'll just add it to the list of stuff to sort out. Hey, is that pasta I see?"

They were both chuckling as they moved on down the line and got plates loaded up with pasta and garlic bread.

Jack and Janet entered the commissary just in time to see the poor commissary officer standing there with a baked potato in each hand looking completely dejected as Daniel and Candice went to sit down with their pasta.

Daniel and Candice were sitting side by side talking quietly as they ate, filling each other in on the hellish three weeks they had just spent. Jack and Janet sat down across from them, Jack with a smug expression on his face, "So are you two back to being happy campers?"

"Actually Jack, we were just discussing the fact that we have a lot of stuff to sort out. And we'd both really like to know what it was that hit us." Daniel said in between shoveling forkfuls of pasta into his mouth.

Candice was doing something unconsciously that was making Janet crazy. She was again rubbing the top of her left wrist for no apparent reason, "Okay, Candice. I have to know. Why do you keep rubbing your wrist?"

Daniel looked down at her hands and frowned, "Your bracelet."

Candice dropped her eyes and said sadly, "Yeah."

Janet asked the obvious question, "What bracelet?"

"I gave her a bracelet that I carved for our tenth anniversary." Daniel replied in a quiet voice. "Or I guess what we thought was our tenth anniversary. You wore it for over thirty years."

The mood around the table had taken a somber tone as the reality of their situation started sinking into Daniel and Candice.

"I'm glad to see you two eating something other than salads and potatoes, but I'd like to see you get some protein in you. A couple of meatballs maybe?" Janet said lightly.

Candice and Daniel looked at each other and cringed. Candice explained, "The thought of eating meat after only eating vegetables for so long just makes me a little green. And I know that wasn't that long in reality, but my brain thinks otherwise."

Daniel agreed, "Same here."

They looked at each other again and said simultaneously, "Something else to sort out."

They all headed for the briefing room after finishing their lunch. At first Daniel and Candice were holding hands as they walked, but after a few minutes Candice noticed something that made her let go. She was getting jealous daggers thrown at her by the eyes of practically every woman they encountered. Jack and Daniel being typical men in so many ways did not notice, but Janet, who was walking with Jack behind Daniel and Candice, noticed. And she made mental notes about the women in question. People seemed to forget that although she was a doctor that she was also an officer that could make lives miserable. And she knew that right now the last thing Candice needed was additional stress.

\---------------

Once SG-1 and Janet were assembled in the briefing room General Hammond sat down and started the meeting.

"First let me just say that the past month has been extremely stressful on all of us, and I'm sure that I can speak for your teammates in saying that we are very glad that we have gotten to the bottom of the mystery surrounding you two." He paused, "But second let me just say that I am a little disappointed that neither of you felt that your experience was important enough to share with the rest of us. Especially you, Doctor Jackson. Your off-world experience should have alerted you to the fact that this was serious."

Daniel dropped his eyes, a little embarrassed, but said respectfully, "I seem to recall being locked in a mental ward and pumped full of drugs the last time, sir."

Jack interjected, "I am sure, sir that we have all learned from this."

"Major Carter, were the Asgard able to determine the device's function?"

"Yes, sir. The device was apparently used by the original inhabitants of the planet in their courtship rituals. Basically a couple looking to be married would be exposed to the beam which would show them what an entire lifetime together would be like. Upon waking, the couple could then decide if in fact they wanted to proceed with the marriage."

Jack was doodling and quipped, "Bet that cut down on the divorce rate."

Everyone at the table leveled an exasperated look at him, and he defended himself by saying, "What? I'm just saying..."

Sam continued, "Anyway, the Asgard were able to determine that there was a second part to the ritual. If the couple in fact does want to proceed with the marriage, they must return to the temple before the next lunar cycle and again be exposed to the beam. Apparently this makes the memories permanent."

Daniel was processing this when he heard Candice next to him say quietly, "So if we don't return to the temple within the month then the memories will go away?"

Sam replied gently, "Yes. The lunar cycle on that planet is a little longer than ours, but basically it means that if you two don't revisit the temple in ten Earth days time the memories you have will begin to fade."

"So it was all just something created by this device?"

Janet had seen the color drain from Candice's face as she asked that question and tried to give her an answer that would put her mind at ease, "We didn't find anything that would indicate that your experience was manufactured. You both seemed to retain your free will and personalities. So although we can't say for certain, your experience was most likely the product of your own making."

General Hammond cleared his throat, "I'm putting SG-1 on stand-down for the next two weeks. Dr. Cooper, Dr. Jackson, you both are free to leave the base. I am sure you both have things to discuss. Dismissed."

Candice got up and went to the window overlooking the gateroom. She heard the others leave the room and felt Daniel step up behind her. "It wasn't real, Daniel."

"Not entirely, no. But it came from us, so there is some part of it that's real." He reached down and took her hand and gave it a little squeeze.

"I need to try and get a handle on all this, try and think it all through."

"Why don't we go get some tea and see if we can make sense of it all."

She turned to face him, "Actually I think I need some time alone, Daniel." She stepped away but he wouldn't release her hand.

"D'Diamar?"

He could see that she was trying not to cry and her voice was wavering as she said, "That's a made up word from a made up place, Daniel."

She squeezed his fingers a final time and walked away, leaving him to stare after her as she left.

\---------------

Daniel was in his office, just sitting there staring off into space when Jack showed up in his civvies. He had been sitting there for hours trying to figure out how to fix things with Candice. He wasn't having any luck. If she really believed that somehow the device had manufactured all of their feelings there wasn't any way he could think of to convince her otherwise.

Jack looked at Daniel's crestfallen expression and said quietly, "Hey. What's going on?"

"Just thinking, Jack."

"As if you ever _stop_ thinking, Danny. Where's Candice? Aren't you two getting out of here for a while? I would have figured that you guys would be outta here like a shot after being cooped up for so long."

"She might be gone. I don't know. I haven't seen her since the briefing."

"Everything alright?" Jack asked, although judging by Daniel's demeanor it was obvious that things were not alright.

"I don't think she believes that it was real, Jack. She thinks it was all fake and just something made up by the device."

Jack got a pained looked on his face, "You know I hate this stuff, but isn't she right in a way?"

Daniel looked long and hard at Jack, trying to put perspective on things, "Maybe about the circumstances but not about what we said or did. Or felt for that matter. I love her, Jack. And I will still love her even if all forty-seven years of memories fade away. I just don't know how to make her see that."

"Maybe that's what she needs to hear."

\---------------

Daniel had changed into his khaki pants and a casual shirt and made his way to Candice's quarters, hoping she hadn't left. He knocked repeatedly but she didn't answer. He leaned his forehead on the door and closed his eyes. How could he fix this if he couldn't talk to her?

A quiet voice behind him brought him out of his reverie, "Daniel?"

He turned around to see Candice standing there in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt topped with the ugliest flannel shirt he had ever seen holding a cup of tea. And he had never seen a more beautiful sight he thought as a wide smile crossed his face. "Hi."

"Hi."

He looked at her expression, it wasn't as hopeless looking as it was after the briefing. "So...I, um, just came by to see how you were."

"Better. I called my dad." She smiled a real smile at that.

"Should I be afraid?" he teased.

She chuckled, "No. But we had a good talk. And he gave me a lot of food for thought."

"That's good right?"

"Yeah. So, you heading home?"

He nodded, "Yeah. You?"

She replied in a more subdued voice, "I don't have anywhere to go. All my stuff is in storage. I didn't have a chance to get an apartment before the mission."

His eyes locked with hers, "Come home with me."

"Is that a good idea?"

"I don't know, but it feels right." He took a step towards her and reached out to stroke her cheek.

She leaned into his gentle touch and closed her eyes, just savoring the moment. She finally opened her eyes and said with a little grin, "Okay."

\---------------

They decided to stop at the grocery store on the way home knowing that after a month that there wouldn't be anything edible in Daniel's refrigerator. They laughed and teased their way around the store. They skipped the meat department altogether but decided they would try some fish. They bought a ton of fresh fruits and vegetables. And several boxes of tea.

As they were waiting in line to check out Daniel was watching her leaf through a magazine and he smirked.

She caught him and asked, "What is so funny?"

"You carry a purse."

She arched an eyebrow in response, "So do a lot of women."

"It just struck me as odd. Something I never thought about."

She lowered her voice so only he could hear, "I suspect that there are going to be a lot of things about each other here in reality that we never thought of before."

\---------------

Candice was a little nervous as Daniel opened the door to his apartment. Nervous because this place was his, and would reflect the real Daniel. And how different was the real Daniel from her Daniel?

He walked in ahead of her, making his way to the kitchen to deposit the bags of groceries he was carrying on the counter. Candice took a tentative step inside and closed the door behind her, but didn't go any further into the apartment. She just stood in the entryway and took it all in. There were books and artifacts covering every available space in the shelves and table tops. The walls were an eclectic display of more artifacts and textiles. She smiled as she looked around. The décor definitely screamed Daniel.

Daniel finally realized that she hadn't followed him into the kitchen and stuck his head around the doorway to see her still standing in the entryway.

He teased, "Are you waiting for a formal invitation to come in D'Diamar?"

She rolled her eyes at him in response. He walked over and took the remaining grocery bag and her overnight bag from her hands and said, "Take my arm and I'll give you the nickel tour."

She looped her arm through his and he led the way. Dropping the grocery bag near the others on the counter he gestured around the room, "Kitchen. Dining area."

He dragged her to the middle of the main living room, "The museum."

Down the hall they went, "Bathroom." He pointed out.

Into his home office that was crammed to the rafters with books and papers they went and he quipped, "There is supposedly a desk under that mess somewhere."

Before she could say a word they were off again, "Spare room. Sam calls it the black hole."

She could see why Sam dubbed it the black hole. There was a bed in the room and a nightstand surprisingly free of clutter, but there were boxes of stuff everywhere else. It seemed to be a catch-all space for him.

Daniel hesitated for a moment. He was still carrying her overnight bag and didn't know if he should put it in here or in his room. He didn't want to be presumptuous but he really preferred the latter option. He decided to just go with the flow and continued his tour.

He pulled her further down the hall, "Master bedroom."

He dropped her bag on the bed and turned around to say something when she caught his face in her hands, "Daniel. Breathe. You're making me dizzy."

Daniel chuckled a little sheepishly, "Sorry. I just don't want you to be uncomfortable here."

"I'm sure I'll be fine. Now, who are all these people in these pictures?" she asked pointing the haphazardly arranged frames standing up on his dresser.

He put his hand on the small of her back and they stepped over to the dresser. Unconsciously she slipped her arm around his waist and they stood there in the familiar stance as he introduced her to the photos of his parents, Cassie, and Sha're.

Oddly the picture of Sha're didn't make either of them uncomfortable. They had had many discussions about her in their other lifetime and they both had come to terms with her place in Daniel's life.

\---------------

They made a huge vegetable stir-fry for dinner, attempting to recreate a favorite meal. It wasn't perfect but it was similar enough that they both had a moment of homesickness for their little stone house with its rough hewn table and benches.

While Candice was cooking Daniel had wandered around the house lighting candles and turning off lights. He dug out a bottle of wine that he had been saving for a special occasion and opened it.

She brought the plates to the table and teased, "Very romantic, Dr. Jackson."

He poured the wine, "It _is _Valentine's Day you know."

She laughed and the sound was absolute music to his ears. As if by some unspoken mutual consent, the dinner conversation was light and carefree. They talked about some of the artifacts he had in the apartment and he grilled her on what her old apartment had looked like. They finished their leisurely dinner and after stacking their dishes in the kitchen they retreated to the living room where they curled up next to each other on the couch.

"So how is your father?" Daniel asked, deciding to try and steer the conversation a little.

"He's good. He's still complaining about being bored. That man should never have retired."

"Did you tell him about us?"

She laughed, "Well, sort of. I embellished a little. I made up a story about us being slipped something in a native village that took us on a little vision quest."

"He bought that?"

"Of course. He knows what I do is classified so he just accepts what I tell him knowing that I can't tell him any more."

"That makes sense I guess. So what was his reaction?"

"He told me to stop being like my mother and to stop over thinking things. He said I should just follow my heart."

"That sounds like good advice."

"Yeah. That's just a little scary in practice though, Daniel."

He twisted around a little so he could look her in the eyes, "Candice, do you remember what I told you the first time we made love? That whole bit about being attracted to you before we were stuck on the planet?"

She nodded, "Yes."

"I meant that, you know, all of it. And if we keep the memories or let them go, I love you. And nothing is going to change that."

"But what if we..." she didn't finish her thought and dropped her eyes.

"What if we what?" he prompted.

Candice took a deep breath and met his gaze, "What if we can't make it work here? The other lifetime was so different than this one. Our responsibilities were totally different, our goals and dreams were different. I just don't know how to make it work here."

"We'll make it work the same way we made it work there. We'll talk and argue, and hash things out. We'll laugh and cry. We'll live and learn. And we'll make some new goals and dreams. We can do it all together."

"You are so sure. How can you be so sure?"

He leaned in close to her and with his lips a hair's breath away from hers whispered, "Because I love you." And then he melded his mouth to hers.

All of the passion they had been holding in check all day poured out of them. And as Daniel's mouth made its way down her neck she groaned, "Mmm, you know I can't think when you do that."

He looked up and she caught the mischievous twinkle in his eyes as he teased, "You're not supposed to be thinking remember? Try following your heart instead."

She bit her lip, trying to hold back the smirk fighting its way out. She reached up and ran a feathery finger across his lips and with a more serious expression whispered, "I love you, Diamar."

With a huge smile Daniel claimed her mouth again as he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to his bedroom. No, he thought, _their_ bedroom.

He laid her down gently and she giggled, "We've never done it in a real bed before, Daniel."

He chuckled with her, "Technically we've never done it at all."

They both laughed and reveled in the humor. Their lovemaking had always been filled with humor and playfulness. And the laughter in the room made everything seem normal and familiar.

Daniel nibbled and licked her neck in all the spots he knew she loved while his shaking hands were working on getting them both naked. He needed to feel her skin, feel her sweat mix with his. Finally getting them free of clothing, Daniel got down to the serious business of worshiping her body, the body he knew better than his own. He knew every sensitive spot, every type of caress that would make her gasp and forget to breathe.

As they came together in the candlelight there were no doubts, no worries. They loved each other into a sated exhaustion and after a little nap and a refrigerator raid for fruit and water they did it all again.

Daniel was slipping into a doze with Candice tucked in the crook of his arm with her head on his chest. She was drawing little swirls on his palm with a finger and asked, "Diamar?"

"Mmm?" was his drowsy reply.

"What do you want to do about the memories?"

"You're thinking again."

"Occupational hazard."

"Honestly, I don't know. Can we sleep on it and talk about it tomorrow?"

"Yeah." She nestled down closer to him and rested her hand on his heart, ""Good night, Diamar. I love you."

He kissed the top of her head and whispered back, "I love you too, D'Diamar. Sleep well."

\----------

The sun was gently streaming into the bedroom when Daniel finally cracked an eye open the next morning. He was alone in bed, which really didn't surprise him much as Candice was much more of an early riser than he was.

He slipped on a pair of sweat pants and made his way toward the kitchen. He paused in the doorway with a slow grin spreading across his face. Candice was in the kitchen with her back to him, slicing some fruit for breakfast and he could smell mint tea. The radio was on playing softly and she was swaying along to it. Daniel had never until that moment understood the sex appeal of a woman wearing one of his button up shirts and nothing else. But he did now and he could only stare.

Somehow she knew he was behind her, "Are you staring at me, Dr. Jackson?"

He walked up behind her and slipped his arms around her and gave her a squeeze as he buried his nose in her hair, "Maybe."

They were just finishing breakfast when the phone rang. Daniel just shook his head looking at the caller id. It was Jack calling from his cell phone.

"Jack." He said to Candice with a little roll of his eyes.

He hit the button and answered, "Hi, Jack."

Candice winked at him and mouthed, "_Shower."_ as she left the room.

Daniel realized that he hadn't heard a word Jack said as he watched Candice walk away. "What was that, Jack?"

"I asked if you had a chance to talk to Candice." Jack knew full well that the two of them had left the mountain together and that Candice hadn't returned last night. He had called and gotten a report from base security, one of the perks of being second-in-command.

"Um, yeah. We're ah, well, I'm going to show her around town today. Before the mission she had just moved here and hadn't really had a chance to look around."

"So things are good?" Jack asked lightly.

A little grin crossed Daniel's face and he said softly, "Yeah, Jack. Things are good."

"Excellent. Then I will expect you both at my place tomorrow night along with Sam and Teal'c for pizza and movies."

"Sounds good to me but I'll have to check with Candice. She's in the shower at the moment." Daniel could have kicked himself the moment those words left his mouth. He just knew that there was no way that Jack would just let that go.

"Ah." Was all Jack said, but of course Daniel couldn't see the enormous smirk on his face.

"Ah what, Jack?" Daniel asked, waiting for the wisecrack.

"Oh, nothing. Just let me know if you aren't coming."

They said their goodbyes and ending the call and Daniel sat there staring at the phone for a second wondering why Jack held back whatever wisecrack was on his mind.

\---------------

The day was sunny, although the air was crisp and cold. They had bundled up and took off on foot to explore. She could see why he liked his neighborhood so much, there was a large variety of little stores and shops offering up books and foods and random oddities. They stopped for lunch at a little Japanese restaurant and she asked him, "Do all these little shops and things remind you of Egypt?"

He took a sip of his tea and smiled, she knew him well. "In a way. I always enjoyed the markets. And you got to know the vendors well. And here, I like being able to connect with people a little. Makes me feel like part of the community."

"I've never been good at that. That whole making friends and fitting in thing."

He looked at her skeptically, "What? You get along with everybody."

They argued playfully about that back and forth as they ate a leisurely lunch. He saw her rubbing her wrist again, unaware that she was even doing it. He frowned, that bracelet he had carved had been a simple little thing, something he had done to make her smile. And she wore it for decades in their other lifetime. And then he realized with a start that it wasn't just a bracelet to her, it held the same significance as a wedding band, it was a visible, tactile reminder of the vows and promises they made each other. And he also realized in that moment that he wanted that, wanted other people to know that she was his, and especially that he was hers. And he decided that it was something he could rectify, or at least try to.

Candice noticed that he was frowning at her hand, and she sighed, now aware that she had been rubbing her wrist again. She had spent over half a lifetime checking to make sure that she hadn't lost the treasured gift. He had carved and smoothed a round piece of wood about the size of a quarter and painstakingly etched their little stone cottage on it with the phrase, "Our home." in Latin in the tiniest of letters circling the cottage, a simple braided twine band held it place. He had given it to her on what was their tenth anniversary. She missed it horribly. She met his eyes and smiled wanly, "Sorry."

He reached across the table and took her hand and squeezed and said, "I want to keep the memories." When she didn't say anything immediately he continued, "And I want to make another whole lifetime's worth. We can do this together. You and me."

His eyes and his words were so sincere, so strong, and so full of emotion that she almost couldn't speak but managed to whisper around the lump in her throat, "I want that too, all of it."

\---------------

They paid the check and headed back out into the chilly afternoon hand in hand. They walked past a florist shop where the owner was setting up a beautiful display of houseplants in the window to replace the Valentine's Day display. Candice laughed and tormented Daniel with the scientific names of all of them. He didn't have any plants, he had tried, but typically they didn't survive his extended off-world traveling. He smiled remembering her filling the little cottage with odd little potted plants, making it even more homey and inviting and he could envision plants being tucked into all sorts of places in the apartment, and he looked forward to it. But he also realized living arrangements were on the list of things they hadn't talked about yet. Not really knowing if the time was right or not he brought it up anyway.

He lightheartedly asked, "So, are you about to become their best customer? The apartment gets great light, your plants will love it."

She looked sideways at him for a moment then teased when she saw him blush under her glare, "That was subtle."

He grinned, she knew him too well, "I tried." They both chuckled and as they walked, they talked about the logistics of living together and what they needed to do to get that accomplished, because there was no doubt that they wanted to live together. Both of them were yearning for that homey closeness that their cottage had provided for all those years they remembered.

A bit further down there was a wonderful gourmet store and they both enjoyed browsing and laughing at all the odd little gadgets. She teased Daniel, "And to think all I had was a knife and a cooking pot." She really was a good cook, and although their meals in the other lifetime had been simple, they were always tasty and varied. A vegetarian cookbook caught her eye and flipping through it together they found many things interesting and in the end the cookbook and several little boxes of exotic spices were in a shopping bag that Daniel cheerfully carried.

They meandered their way through the neighborhood reveling in each other's company and acquainting themselves with each other's likes and dislikes here in the real world. Daniel's unwavering confidence that there wasn't anything they couldn't work out was almost infectious and Candice found herself not worrying about the future.

\---------------  
tbc...

**Author's Note:**

> 2009 Blue Moon Awards  
> Nominated in the Daniel Jackson/Original Female Character category, however it was ineligible as a WIP.


End file.
